Fully or highly automated driving systems are designed to operate a vehicle on the road without driver interaction or other external control, for example, self-driving vehicles or autonomous vehicles. An autonomous vehicle can encounter situations where traffic is directed by a traffic officer, such as an unexpected downed traffic light or long line of vehicles heading into or out of a large event, such as a concert. The traffic officer will be directing traffic in a manner that does not necessarily follow the traffic rules or the fixed traffic signals traditionally associated with the location. An automated driving system is required that can detect the traffic officer and determine whether the traffic officer is directing traffic signals to the autonomous vehicle to determine how to proceed.